GNSS

New GLONASS interface control documents released

Russian Space Systems has released draft versions of the GLONASS interface control documents (ICD) for the future code division multiple access (CDMA) signals in the L1, L2 and L3 bands.

Parameters of the subsystem interfaces between the spacecraft and GLONASS navigation consumer equipment are determined by the GLONASS Interface Control Document. The ICD is only available in Russian, but an English translation is expected soon.

PDF files of the documents for each signal can be downloaded here: http://russianspacesystems.ru/wpcontent/ uploads/2016/08/IKD-L1- s-kod.-razd.-Red-1.0-2016.pdf

Synchronization of GLONASS and BeiDou

Russia and China have achieved a significant progress in the synchronization of GLONASS and BeiDou navigation systems, Roscosmos head Igor Komarov said.

“All contracts have been signed, and the work is proceeding. There are prospects, there is great interest on the part of the partners in different fields: the engines, the joint development of launch vehicles, manned space programs, conducting of experiments at the low-Earth orbit,” said Komarov. In May 2015, China and Russia signed the BeiDou-Glonass system compatibility and interoperability cooperation agreement, marking a new stage of navigation cooperation between the two countries. https://sputniknews.com/

GLONASS ground-based station made operational in South Africa

A ground-based station of the GLONASS satellite navigation system has been made operational in South Africa.”Assembling and pre-commissioning work was completed on Nov. 25 to set up a measuring station on the premises of the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) as part of the agreement signed between Russia’s High- Precision Instrument Systems Company and South Africa’s HartRAO on Oct. 29, 2015,” acoording to the press office said. The station has already been made operational and has begun transmitting information to the Global High- Precision Positioning and Ephemeris Time Measurement System’s Control Center for commercial subscribers. Source: TASS https://rbth.com/news

Broadcom and Qualcomm top GNSS IC vendors

A new reports says that the GNSS market landscape is growing because of rapid growth of satellite technology-enabled wearables, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), new innovation opportunities, and low-cost precision receivers.

ABI Research’s new GNSS integrated circuit (IC) vendor competitive analysis says that Broadcom and Qualcomm remain the two top companies for the fourth straight year.

Micro satellites with GNSS receivers for remote weather sensing

Surrey Satellite Technology’s Space GNSS Receiver Remote Sensing Instrument (SGR-ReSI) is the primary payload onboard NASA’s CYGNSS constellation, launched on Dec 15, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission is part of the NASA Earth System Science Pathfinder Program that aims to improve extreme weather prediction by studying how tropical cyclones form.

The CYGNSS space segment consists of a constellation of eight micro satellites, each carrying the Surrey SGR-ReSI as the observatory payload in the form of a delay Doppler mapping instrument (DDMI). Making use of reflected global positioning signals, the DDMI collects ocean surface roughness data using a technique called GNSS reflectometry, providing CYGNSS with a new method for looking inside hurricanes. Wind speed will be estimated from this reflectometry data.

U.S. Air Force GPS ground control update

Work on the U.S. Air Force’s GPS ground control is complete, Lockheed Martin announced. The recent update, known as the Commercial Off-The-Shelf Upgrade 2, or CUP2, marked the latest step in the multi-year plan to upgrade the technology. The update improves the system’s infrastructure, allowing operators to manage 31 GPS IIR, IIR-M, and IIF satellites more efficiently. The Ground Control Segment is a network ground-level facilities responsible for managing transmissions, performing data analysis, and issuing commands to GPS satellites. The network is comprised of a master control station, 11 command and control antennas, and 15 monitoring sites. http://www.upi.com

u-blox GNSS Module Featured in Tracking Device

u-blox has announced that two of its products have been used by Cobilsys to create a small, batterypowered asset tracking device.

Cobilsys’ ATPACK tracker measures 53 by 48 by 15 millimeters and can be used to track the location of cars, motorcycles, and pets, the company said. The product uses a u-blox EVA-M8M, the industry’s smallest GNSS module, which works with GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou, the company said.

SXPad 1000P by Geneq inc

Geneq inc. has announced the SXPad 1000P, a feature-packed, rugged handheld GPS data collector and at an affordable price. It is specifically designed for mobile GIS users in applications ranging from water/ electric and gas utilities; transportation; mining; agriculture; and forestry. It is optimized for GPS/GIS field data collection using its 1-3 meter accuracy internal GPS receiver or one of Geneq’s highperformance SXBlue GPS receivers for sub-meter and centimeter-level accuracy.